1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to fishing equipment and recreational devices for attracting fish, although other uses, such as devices for attracting other game and aquatic life are within the scope of the invention. More specifically, the present invention is primarily intended as a fishing lure and the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
Fishing is a popular outdoor activity and worldwide source of food provision. Fishing equipment has developed through the years to meet the need, art, and sport of fishing. In particular, fishing lures have developed and evolved during the last century into an important tool for enhancing and improving fishing. Various fishing lures have been developed and used in an effort to improve the quality and productivity of this outdoor activity. In particular, lures designed for the storage and dispersion of fishing attractant have been developed. This development, however, has also resulted in complexity in lures and in the manufacturing of lures as well as in a decrease in the effectiveness of the lures themselves due to excessive mixing of the fish attractant inside the lure prior to discharge to the surrounding water.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,888,907, which issued to Gibbs discloses a fishing lure that includes a bladder and valve assembly combination provided within a cavity of the fishing lure for providing controlled discharge of a fish attractant. This combination requires the assistance of the environment, water, and gravity to discharge the attractant through the valve. Moreover, the valve can operate to release or drip attractant even when the lure is not used during fishing because the valve can be adjusted to an open configuration that the user can fail to close when the lure is not in use. Hence fishing attractant can be needlessly wasted.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,047,317 discloses a Fish Lure having a hollow body portion formed of complimentary shells pivotally secured together at one end and provided with fish attractant carried within the lure body. The attractant is dispersed via openings at each end in the lure body by means of water which is allowed and required to enter and leave the lure cavity as the lure is pulled through the water. In addition, the scent-dispensing lure of U.S. Pat. No. 4,964,235 provides a lure including a liquid-dispensing cavity and a mixing mechanism for mixing fish-attracting liquid and environmental water in the cavity. An inlet at the front end for entry of the environmental water and at an outlet port at the back end for discharge of the mixed liquid and water are also provided.
Finally, the Scented Fishing Lure of U.S. Pat. No. 5,155,947 requires passage of water through a cavity containing liquid fishing attractant and an absorbent material. The ""947 device requires that the lure be trolled, reeled, or pulled through water. The water then enters the lure and cavity, flows through the cavity and over a baffle, and disperses out an exit aperture carrying small amounts of the attractant with it. Hence, in the ""317, ""235, and ""947 devices the attractant can be needlessly diluted while still in the lure and prior to discharge and this dilution could decrease the effectiveness of the attractant.
Therefore it is important and necessary that a fishing lure be developed for overcoming these challenges in the art. The fishing lure should control discharge from the lure while minimizing preliminary mixing of attractant with water before discharge to the environment. It should require independent, external force to discharge the attractant whereafter a self-closing mechanism should be provided for minimizing waste of attractant. It is also desirable that the fishing lure be inexpensive, simple to manufacture, easy to use, and applicable to various types of fishing and gaming devices, and the like.
Other objects of my invention, as well as particular features, elements, and advantages thereof, will be elucidated in, or apparent from, the following description and the accompanying drawing figures.
The present invention provides a device for fishing or gaming activities that comprises a fishing lure device. The fishing lure device comprises a body member that itself comprises a leading end, a tail end, a top side, a bottom side, and an outer shell that longitudinally extends from the leading end to the tail end along a longitudinal axis and axially extends concentrically about the longitudinal axis from the top side to the bottom side for enclosing a cavity defined therein. The outer shell has an outer opening along the bottom side. The body member also comprises a reservoir and a passageway located within the cavity and fluidly connecting to each other. The reservoir extends from the top side to the passageway and the passageway extends from the bottom side towards the top side and the tail end and includes a ball located therein for back-and-forth translation within the passageway when the body member undergoes abrupt movement for opening and closing the fluid connection between the reservoir, the passageway, and the outer opening for releasing attractant therefrom. The fishing lure also comprises at least one hook attached to the body member.
Another embodiment of the present invention provides in combination, a fishing device comprising a fishing lure and a fishing pole. The fishing lure comprises a body member that has a cavity defined therein and comprises a passageway and a reservoir located within the cavity. A ball is located within the passageway for back-and-forth translation between an unsettled open position and a seated closed position. The ball translates towards the unsettled open position during abrupt jerking motion of the fishing lure and reseats in the seated closed position thereafter. The passageway is fluidly connected to the reservoir for passage of fluids therethrough as the ball translates towards the unsettled open position for discharging the fluids from the fishing lure. The passageway extends from the bottom side towards the top side and the tail end. The fishing pole comprises a fishing line attached to the fishing lure for communicating the abrupt jerking motion to the fishing lure for releasing the fluids therefrom.
In still another embodiment of the present invention, a fishing device is provided and comprises a body member constructed of inflexible material and having a cavity defined therein. The body member comprises a passageway and a reservoir located within the cavity and a ball being located within the passageway for back-and-forth translation between an unsettled open position and a seated closed position. The ball temporarily translates towards the unsettled open position during abrupt jerking motion of the body member and reseats in the seated closed position thereafter. The passageway is fluidly connected to the reservoir for passage of fluids therethrough and thereout of the body member as the ball temporarily translates towards the unsettled open position. Fluid passage can be stopped when the ball returns to the seated closed position.
Hence, the present invention provides a fishing lure developed for overcoming challenges in the art. The fishing lure of the present invention can control discharge from the lure while minimizing preliminary mixing of attractant with water before discharge to the environment. It can require independent, external force to discharge the attractant whereafter a self-closing mechanism is provided for minimizing waste of attractant. The fishing lure of the present invention can also be inexpensive, simple to manufacture, easy to use, and applicable to various types of fishing and gaming devices, and the like.